Solidarity: The Principle and the Practice - From the Institutions to the Citizen

Solidarity: The Principle and the Practice -
From the Institutions to the Citizen

Nikos Frangakis
Attorney at law, Athens; President, Scientific Council of EKEME

Solidarity is one of the core values on which the European integration process is built and one of the fundamental principles of the European Union, based on sharing both the advantages and the burdens among member States and their citizens. It contributes to the creation and reinforcement of the Union's system through intra-European solidarity as well as the solidarity of Europe with the rest of the world. Political and security aspects of solidarity, financial solidarity related to economic and social cohesion with emphasis on the Solidarity Clause stipulated by the Treaty and in consideration of a need for solidarity between cultures, are the issues examined in this paper, in quest of a new narrative for solidarity within a new narrative for a better Europe. Inevitably, the case of Greece is examined at some length.